Diet Validation Study (1998 - 2000). In the late 1990's, 400 BWHS participants took part in a diet validation study.  They reported what they had eaten several times over the course of a year, and they also kept food diaries for a week.  Dr. Shiriki Kumanyika, a member of the BWHS Advisory Board and the BWHS expert on diet, conducted the study to find out how well the diet questions on the 1995 BWHS health questionnaire reflect what participants really ate. The results of this study showed that dietary information provided by BWHS participants is reliable enough to be highly useful in studies of diet and disease (see Publication List, articles #6, 22 and 34 for full reference). The study is a step toward the goal of finding out if certain foods cause or prevent particular illnesses.

Cheek Cell Study (2004 - 2009). Cells obtained by swishing the mouth with mouthwash contain genetic material. Recent scientific findings suggest that certain genes may play a role in how the body handles carcinogens. For example, people with one form of a particular gene might clear the body of carcinogens from cigarettes much faster than people with other forms of the gene. The BWHS will assess genes of this type. The ultimate goal is to be able to identify what makes some women more susceptible to particular illnesses. Between 2003 and 2007, we invited BWHS participants to provide cheek cell samples by means of mouthwash. Results from the genetic tests that will be performed in this study are generally not suitable for use as clinical tests for medical care. Instead, they provide important population information when combined with tests from many other women. Therefore, individual results will not be provided to participants.